The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-12-15
A Rich Region.

Dave Whitaker has Just returned
from months sojourn, says the Mil
waukee Wisconsin,, on the north shore
of Lake Superior, where he went to
locate some mineral and timber lands.
After landing at Port Arthur, he went
sixty to seventy miles back from the
north shore, where all is still wild,
and where the sole inhabitants are
Ojibiway Indians and wild beasts.
Port Arthur has grown to be town of
5000 inhabitants. "a very large in
terest there" said Mr.. Whittiker, lis
the fisheries. During the season the
average catch is fifteen tens a day of
whitefish and lake trout. They are
packed in refrigerator boxes and
shipped to Duluth by steamers which
ply along the coast. 1t is not uncom-
mon to catch trout weighing forty
pounds there. One fisherman told me
that in one haul he caught 5 300 pounds
of fish. The fishermen use Gill nets,
some of them being two miles long.
Dressed fish bring from q to 5 cents
a pound at Port Arthur. In the streams
of the country, which flow into Lake
Superior, brook trout abound. There
are numerous small lakes, and all
kinds of fish are found there. The
Nepagong river is said to be the best
trout river in Canada. 1t is about the
size Of the Wisconsin river"
Speaking of the game that frequents
that region, Mr.. Whitaker mentioned
the caribou, species of reindeer. 1t
is impossible to hunt this beast with
dogs, as it would kill them. The In
dians kill a great many caribou in the
snow. The caribou is somewhat pc
culiar in habit, being very fond of the
lake. They swim over from the main
land to the island, sometimes ventur-
ing as far as Isle Royale or Thunder
cape, distance of sixteen miles. In
winter they walk and lie on the ice all
day, probably for protection from the
Indian hunters. At night they go into
the woods to feed. Rabbits are very
plenty. Small red squirrels are num-
erous. They make nests in the ground,
as the weather is too severe to make
the trees habitable Back from ciyili-
zation the moose are still found. Be-
fore the silver mines in the Beaver
district were found, the moose used to
range through tie section in large
numbers. Black bear are plenty, one
man at the Rabbit mine having killed
fourteen last summer. No wolves or
deer are to be found. The partridges,
which are numerous, are very tame.
Ducks and geese abound in the lakes
where grows wild rice.
The Kakabee falls, on the Camnisti-
quay river, are 10 feet high and about
100 feet across.
Mr.. Whitaker said that in his opin-
ion it is one of the richest countries
that has ever been opened. Il think
the reason it has never been more
thoroughly explored is its extreme inn
FEASIBILITY. Bottomless swamps and
almost perpendicular walls are com
mon. The Indians say that hundred
years ago it was covered with pine,
which was destroyed by great fire.
Now the timber is mostly poplar. jack
pine, birch and tamarack. Although
no attempt has as yet been made to
raise around Port Arthur, all kinds OF
roots flourish there, and there is no
reason to doubt that wheat will thrive
in the rich soil. Few white men re-
side there outside of Port Arthur.
The Indians are lords of the soil. and
have in their possession all the secrets
of the country, handed down by ages
of tradition. The Indians discovered !
the secrets of the celebrated Beaver
mine, which is showing an immense
ilver-producing power. The Indian
revealed the secret to aFrenchman who |
had married squaw, and he in turn
told il to the present owners Within
space of three square miles are IS or
20 silver mines.